Blood in the Water, The twist of the 90th Games
This is the sequel of Without much Chance, The Tale of the 89th Hunger Games. Read that before you read this or you might get confused. Prologue "Sally, up. We're going to be late to the first victory tour." Drake says to me. I groan, before getting out of bed. I look like a mess, but being the unprepared girl I am, I just tie it up in a bun. I get dressed in a simple t-shirt and shorts, as it was August now. "Coming." I say with a yawn, as I meet Drake in the main foyer of the victor village estate. It's a lot better than what we used to live in, but the price it cost was the scarring of my big brother forever. An official looking man in a tuxedo issues us into a jeep, before taking us to the train station. "This way sir." the man says, opening the door for my brother and myself. "Alright, listen Sally. You'll stand like a big girl on the stage, got it?" he says. "I know, I know." I say. "Good. Don't get yourself into trouble and I'm sure this awful trip will end quickly." Drake says as we board the train. We arrive in District 1. The escort hands Drake a coupple of cards, for the speech. I vividly remember Drake being the cause of death of both District 1 tributes, so I knew this would be hard to do. I took my place on the stage, as Drake rose up to the podium. The whole crowd was silent, watching in anxiety as they heard what they're tributes did. "Petunia, and Marvin, were two flexible and great tributes. Both of them fought hard and well, and only didn't win due to awful luck. They brought you, and your district, honor. I regret having to kill them, I mus..." Drake was cut off by a peacekeeper. I heard distantly what he was saying. "We only counted 22 bodies. Someone escaped. You're coming with us, you might know about this plot of cheating." he said. Drake nodded. He was hushed away. I began to follow, but Lucus came in. "This doesn't concern you Sally. Drake will be back... don't you worry." He began to lead me by the train, and I caught word of a peacekeepers radio. "Eh, some talk of rebellion, ya know. Only 22 bodies, one was missing. I would say some rogue arena operators, but that's my opinion. Girl from 2 missing..." I didn't hear the rest, as I was forced into the train, gone into the rising sun. Chapter 1: The Fearful Reaping "Up." a voice says. I groan. "UP!" the voice says more sharply, throwing the covers off me. "You're going to be late for the reapings." my father says. "Man, I don't wanna go." I say. "Luna, everyone has to go. But, I made sure your odds were very low." he says. I yawn. "I'll meet you there. Get ready Luna." he says, before walking back down stairs. I look in the mirror, my green eyes staring back at me. "My name's in four times...." I say to my reflection. I brush my long blonde hair down, apply a little bit of eyeliner and lipstick, before I get in a red cloth dress I wear every year. I open the door, the chilly winds blowing against me. I shiver. District 5 could get cold in the mornings, even right now in the early summer. I walk down the cold streets. Everyone else is either at the reaping or coming towards it. My shoes patter against the stone streets as I get close to the reaping. The big screen shows last year's tributes get killed. Our female was a career, but she was poisoned by the girl from 6. Our male was killed by the boy from 4 during the 10th day. I hoped to not end up like either of them. As soon as everyone gets settled, the escort walks up to the stage. "Welcome to the 90th Hunger Games reaping tributes! Today, two lucky tributes, one boy, one girl, will be picked. Now, settle in, as we begin District 5's reaping!" she says. She walks over to the female's bowl. She picks a slip out, before reading "Luna Silvius.". Oh no, my name. I walk up to the stage, all eyes trained on me. I shiver and tremble, as I take my place up by the stage. "What a beautiful young lady." the escort announces. "Now, for the boys." she says. She walks over to the boy's bowl. "Brock Stoashin.". A large boy, about 18 jumps up. "WOOO!" he says, flashing a smile to the camera. He shoves his way through the crowd, before taking the microphone. "You're staring at your victor right now!" he says. He was full of himself. "Shake hands." my escort says. Brock grabs my hands, squeezing it. My hand starts to turn purple, I let out a sharp gasp. "That's enough." my escort says. Brock lets go, before waltzing off. I roll my eyes, and address my purple hand. "What an idiotic jock." I say as I start towards the justice building. Chapter 2: Introductory to a Grand City My father comes in the room, a worried look on his face. "Luna! I'm sorry... you weren't supposed to be picked. I made your odds as low as-" I cut him off, saying "Dad it's fine. I've studied all the tributes in the games. I'm intelligant. Intelligance is what a lot of tributes don't rely on. Brock is proof of it." I say. My dad's look of worry fades. "You always were smart. You get that from your mother... a wonderful gal she was...." My father says. "5 minutes are up." a gruff voice says. "Luna... one last thing..." he says, handing me a ring. "It's the ring your mother would wear... may her charm be with you as you progress through the games." he says. "Thanks..." I say, shocked. Peacekeepers drag my dad out, as I'm escorted to the train. "So you're the new batch of tributes..." our mentor says, scratching his stubbly beard. "I'm going to mentor the tributes next year, so don't worry about a thing!" Brock says. "Ahhh, a confident one. Don't let arrogance get to your head if you plan to go down the path of a career." the mentor muses. "And you." he says, pointing to me. "I know that gleam in your eyes. You're intelligant, no doubt." he says. "I guess I am." I say. "She's also a weakling." Brock adds in. "Look at those twig arms." he says, laughing. "Don't worry. Skinny girls are the prettiest." our mentor says, chuckling. The train begins to move, and our escort walks in. "That's your mentor, Mr. Ichabod Stenson." she says. I nod, and look back to Ichabod. Brock is flexing his muscles and looking at the mirror, saying things like "Lookin' good handsome Hans.". I scoff. "I don't think he is going to win..." my mentor says. "He's already lost himself in pride. You however have a chance." he says. "I do?" I ask. "You might lack strength, but you have intelligance. I bet you're pretty quick too. You can outrun idiots like Brock over there and lure him into a trap." my mentor says. "Wow. You won by intelligance?" I ask. He nods. "One of the only ones to do it." he said. After talking with my mentor and formulating plans and advice, and after dealing with hours of Brock's nonsense, I see a grand city. "The capitol!" the escort says. Brock's already waving, smiling, flexing, all the weird jazz. I just gently wave, Brock shoving me out of the way. "You are a jerk." I mutter, walking towards the door. The capitol is astounding, it's beauty hiding it's true evil. The many people cheering in the crowd look alien to me with their weird fashions. A gruff hand shoves me to the ground. "Whoops!" Brock says. I've had enough. I slam my fist into his gut... actually, abs... and he doubles over. Anger is evident on his face. The crowd gasps as he grabs me by my throat and lifts me up. He squeezes tight, I can feel my windpipe being restricted. "He-elp..." I wheeze out. Peacekeepers come over and begin to restrain Brock. He drops me. I gasp for air, before we are rushed inside our rooms. "WHAT WAS THAT? YOUNG LADY, YOU'RE SETTING A BAD EXAMPLE FOR OUR TRIBUTES!" my escort screams at me. Ichabod sticks up for me, saying "Brock shoved her on purpose. She did the right thing. Don't be so hotheaded and relax. I think the capitol would love an early fight, to show how motivated our tributes are to kill. Just go with it." he says. We are in the District 5 room, the peacekeepers holding Brock back until they lock him in his room. "Keep him locked up until he gets his temper under control." they say, walking out. I shudder, shivering from my near death. If Brock could choke me so easily, I knew I needed allies. The tribute parade was about to begin, and I was quickly taken out of the room to go get dressed and cleaned. Chapter 3: A Parade to Remember "You're one of the first tributes from 5 we've had in a while with blonde hair." My stylist says as she brushes my hair. As usual, we were dressed as power plant workers. "Alright, what you want to do, is wave, look happy, and get people to like you. Blow kisses maybe, if you wanna go for that angle." I heed his advice well, I needed as much knowledge as possible if I was going to win. After loading up into my carriage, I gave a look to Brock. His back was turned, talking to our mentor. Soon, he marched over to the carriage. He gave looked at me, with a look that said he wanted to kill me. "You're lucky that they have a tazer ready if I misbehave." he grunts, as our chariot lurches forward. I never was one for huge crowds, but when our chariot went forward, that's all I heard. Screaming, cheering, applause. The career districts normally steal the glory, as all 3 of them come before us. I wave, smile a bit. But when I hear an uproar, I'm dissapointed when I find out it's not me. Brock stands there, smiling. His white teeth gleam with pride, but one thing I notice that's hard to miss... he's shirtless. He flexes his rather large muscles, showing off his abs. I can see our mentor with his face in his hands, and our stylists looking like they're about to feint. Even District 1 turns around to see what the commotion is. After the parade is finished, I feel like I'm about to cry. Brock stole the show, and I got no credit whatsoever. To the capitol, I was in his shadow like a little sister. I could see the careers glaring at him. He was no doubt a capitol favorite, his name would no doubt be on the news tonight. On the elevator ride back up to our dorm, Brock says something "I should be the career leader. They know I'm the best. They should have no problem agreeing." I scoff at him. Arrogance as usual. "Have you seen them? They're AFTER you. It would be stupid to join them in the first place, yet be their leader!" I warn him. His moment drops. He's about to slam his fist into my face, when the elevator door opens. "You just wait Luna. I'm coming for you." he says as he storms to his room. I sigh, as I head to bed, ready for the first day of training. Chapter 4: Alliance Forging I walk in the training room, Brock sprinting away from me to go to the careers. Stupid idiot. Decided to ignore my warning. "A bunch of new faces." a heavy set man says to us. "Come round, come round. You know the drill. Don't ignore survival skills, ya da ya da ya da. Listen, if you need anything, just go to the station and ask a trainer. Go on, train!" he says, shouting the last 3 words. After trying to learn how to make a spear, and failing pretty badly, a smooth voice says "You're doing it wrong. Let me help you." I look up from my butchered stick, and see a boy about 14 with light brown hair and hazel eyes. "Harper from 3." he says. "Luna from 5." I reply. Harper's a pretty nice guy, gently correcting my errors and telling me what caused them. He's very intelligent, and I'd much rather have him as a district partner than Brock. The lunch bell rings. "Wanna sit with me?" Harper says. "Yeah, sure." I reply. As we walk, I vividly remember last years tributes. Ivory joined the careers like Brock. Didn't get her anywhere, she still died half way through. Our male was slightly smarter, and handy with a knife. He could've easily won, yet he made the rash decision of attending the feast. I think the whole district was on the verge of puking when the boy from 4 mutilated him with a sword. I sit down with Harper. My eyes go to the career table, and you wouldn't guess who was there. Brock. He just told some joke to his career buddies, and they all burst into laughter. District 1 looked deadly, but their District 2 counterparts topped that. District 4 wasn't the most powerful of the careers like last year, actually looking the weakest. Harper grabs my attention when two other tributes sit down. "Is this the anti careers?" the girl asks. She's from 7, judging by her looks. Her dark skinned friend who resembles a boy from 11 stays silent. "It can be." Harper answers. "Luna, you fine with this?" he asks me. "Yeah, I'd love to be an opposite to my dumb district partner." I say. "Well, I'm Sarah. This is Lucus." the girl from 7 says. "He's not one for talking." I look at Lucus. He just sits there with a calm look. "Well, let's get to training shall we?" Harper suggests. "Sounds good." Sarah replies, before we leave the lunch area. The careers have been yelling and hollering for the past minute. The boy from 2 threw a spear, hitting a bullseye, then threw another, splitting the first spear in half as it hit dead center. "They're so stupid." Sarah says to me as Lucus and Harper train in a simulator. "Tell me about it." I reply. Besides the careers, none of the tributes look deadly this year. The only non career who posed a threat was the girl from 6, who kept suceeding in swordplay. Honestly I thought I had an actual chance. Just outsmart the dumb careers. But I did make allies... they might be hard to let go. I snap out of my thoughts as training is done. I say goodbye to my allies, entering the elevator yet again. Chapter 5: The intense day of Training Sweat falls from my brow as I hack at a dummy with a hunting knife. "This weapon isn't for you." the trainer says. Funny, the past 5 weapon trainers have said the same thing. I groan, and walk off, not even caring that the hunting knife clatters to the ground. My allies have already found their weapon. Harper is great with the hatchet. It might be a small weapon, but he is very deadly with it. Sarah, is no doubt flawless with an ax. She has already chopped up two dummies so badly that they've had to been replaced. Even quiet Lucus is better than me, as he wears away at a trainer with a baton. I tried so much, but none of the weapons felt natural to me. "Hey Luna. How goes the weapon training?" Harper asks me in a sweet voice. "I can't find the weapon I'm good at using." I say. "Come with me. I think I'll know a weapon great for you." Harper leads me through the training facility, before he leads me to the knife throwing area. I remember Ivory using a combat knife. I hoped I wouldn't end up like her. "Go ahead, take one." Harper says, urging me to try this out. The knife feels slender and light in my hand. I begin to throw it, but Harper stops me. "No no no. You have to grab it by the blade." I do as he says, before throwing it. The knife nicks the ground and skids into the wall. I sigh. "This isn't getting anywhere." I protest, but Harper shushes me. "Like this." he says, grabbing a knife and throwing it. It spirals into the 2nd circle from bullseye. Harper is relentless, but I'm thankful for it. He corrected my mistakes and now, I'm very close to hitting a bullseye. "You're pretty good. Come, let's see how are allies are fareing." he says to me, holding his hand out. Chapter 6: The Last Exam "Oops!" Brock says, bumping into me and causing me to stumble. His career buddies laugh. What jerks. They wouldn't win this year, just like the careers before them. I was on the way to the training center, for the last test to get my score. I was a bit nervous, but all I had to do was score medium so I could still get sponsors while not being such a target. I sit down on my bench, labeled "District 5" I see Harper beside his moon-faced district partner, Sarah sits beside her district partner, twiddling her thumbs and taking deep breaths to calm herself. Lucus looks rather calm, compared to his fidgety district partner. I'm forced to sit by Brock, who keeps messing my hair up and giving me wet willies. "Tux of District 1, report for individual assessment." the robotic voice says over the intercom. The boy from 1, who I know as Tux now, high fives his district partner and Districts 2 and 4 before walking in. He was arrogant, but had a snazzy style. By listening, I learned most of the careers' names. The girl from 1 was called Jewel, the boy from 2 Gladius, the girl from 2 Cheyenne, and the girl from 4 being Marianna. I didn't catch the boy from 4's name, but he wasn't too threatening to me just yet. "Luna of District 5, report for individual assessment" the voice says. "Hope you trip." Brock sneers. Harper gives me a thumbs up, as I walk in. "Present your skills. We don't have all day." the fat gamemaker says to me. I rush to the plant identification station, passing very well. After demonstrating knot tying skills and how to make a fire, I was done. "You may go." the fat man says to me. I find myself sitting on a comfy couch in less than an hour. My stylists, escort, and mentor all sit by me, Brock standing against the wall a couple feet away. "Wonderful night Panem isn't it?" the new anchor of the games states. "I'm Miles Trainer, the new anchor of Panem. Caeser has retired his position to me, but alas, I'll be good enough to live up to the Flickerman legend. So, let's get started on tonight's scores!" Fear began to tingle through my body as the first scores were announced. Tux and Jewel both scored a 10. Cheyenne scored an 11 and Gladius a 12. The careers were a lot more deadly than they were last year, I was super scared. Miles was literally shouting at Gladius's huge 12, saying the last it was scored was 15 years ago. The district 4 careers are weak compared to the rest of the pack, but as deadly as the District 1 tributes last year with both scoring a 9. Then, it's our district. "Luna... a girl who proved her knowledge is power... a score of... 7." I sigh with relief. Perfect score. My escorts and stylists clap, and my mentor pats me on the back. "Good job Luna." Then, Miles says something else. "Brock... the boy who might've been born in District 2... with a score of... 11!" Everyone cheers and claps. He stole the show again. I can't hide my emotions real well, so I walk to my room and shut the door. There is a knock on the door. "Go away..." I say. The door opens, and there stands Ichabod. "Luna..." "Please Ichabod, leave me be. Brock is going to try and kill me, and with the whole capitol on his side, I stand no chance." I say to him. "No no no! Brock is a typical career. Strong and sturdy, but extremely arrogant. Master's of speech can easily exterminate them." he tells me. "Listen, you got an interview tomorrow. You need to keep your head clear, and your mind focused. I've seen many victors blow the capitol away at interviews. You can be the next one. I have faith in you Luna." he tells me. I thank him, and decide to go to bed. My mind races. After tomorrow, I would be in an arena, scared, frightened, watching every dark area for someone willing to spill my guts. But, I knew, even if it was highly unlikely, I had a chance to win. That chance, is what will keep me going to the end. Chapter 7: A Fateful Interview "Welcome everyone to the interviews of the 90th Hunger Games!" Miles shouts as his crowds of fans scream and cheer. For such a new dude, he must be doing well. "Tonight, I'll interview 24 tributes all across from Panem, and uncover their greatest dreams and nightmares!" First up is none other than Tux, wearing one of the most brilliant tuxedos I've ever seen. He blows the crowd away with his nature, and sets up well for the other careers. Jewel seduces the crowd with her great looks and makes them beg for more with her charm. Gladius and Cheyenne instill fear and awe in the crowd, and are no doubt one of the favorites. I watch Harper impress everyone with his brains, but soon overshadowed by District 4. Then, It's time for me to go. "You look amazing." my stylists says. She has me in a blue dress, has curled my blonde hair and has given me eyeliner ot bring out my green eyes. "Thanks." I reply as I make my way to the stage. "She has the smarts, and now the looks! Give it up for Luna!" After the crowd dies down from cheering, I give Miles a smile as I sit in the chair across from him. "So Luna, tell us your opinion of being here. How's the capitol been?" Miles asks. "It's been rich and luxurious. I've never slept in a bed with jewel encrusted sheets." I say. He nods, before firing another question at me. "Is life in your district... acceptable?" I hold down a scoff, and tell the truth. "It's very nice. Being the smallest district, it isn't too loud, and I live in a generally good house by District 5 standards." Then he bombards me with the final question. "Is there anyone you strive to win for?" he asks. I take a moment to think. I could only name one. "My father... he must be a mess right now, watching his little girl close to fighting to the death. Have you ever had family that went missing for a while? You'd sympathesize with my father." I reply sharply. Miles is taken aback. No one has asked questions to the interviewer or his audience, which was my angle the whole time. Shock the crowd. I just did it. "Give it up for Luna!" Miles says, as the crowd claps for, obviously shocked. However, they regain quickly as the holler as Brock walks up to the stage, flashing a smile and giving a thumbs up. "Impressive. You did perfect." Ichabod comments as I walk back into the changing rooms. Brock has been bragging for the past hour about how he was the best out there tonight, and has been driving me insane. He kept on messing with me, before I kicked him in the groin. Before he could come after me, I locked my room door. He hurled himself into it, before shouting "You wait Luna! You're dead tomorrow!" before stomping off. I sat in bed as the hours ticked by, the hours to fear getting closer and closer... Chapter 8: Let the Games Begin I awake at 7 in the morning. The usual cheery escort is very serious and stern. "Come on. We need to be at the hovercraft in 15 minutes." she says. We arrive there, and Ichabod nods to me. "Good luck Luna. Remember, your mind is stronger than any muscle." before I am ushered on the hovercraft by peacekeepers. I get a good look at the 24 tributes in the hovercraft. The careers are bouncing in their seats, excited to test their abilitiy and bring honor to their district. Outer districts like 10, 11, and 12 are pale and sicly looking from fear. Middle districts don't look any better, the 12 year old girl from 9 in tears. She must've remembered what happened to the girl from 9 last year. After my tracker was inserted and we arrived to our personal stations before launch, my stomach felt like it was in knots. After putting on rugged pants with fur in the interior, being dressed in a wool undershirt fitted with a fur coat over it, and having snowy boots laced on my feet, I knew the arena was going to be cold. "Looks to be a tundra this year. However, if you're unlucky, it could be polar without trees... those games were the worst." my stylist says. He ties my hair up into a ponytail, before patting me on the back. "I'm sure you'll be fine." he says sarcastically, as I step into the tube. As soon as I do, glass shuts behind me and I feel myself slowly begin to rise up into the arena. The sun blinds me temporarily, as I soon see my surroundings as the cold nips my face, my breath comes out in a mist. A tundra. I see some scattered pine forests, and large mountains who's peaks are hidden by the clouds. I locate Harper one plate to my left, however Sarah and Lucus are further away. "60... 59... 58" the countdown has begun. I remember us discussing a plan vividly. Secure many supplies and use stealth. This was before the careers had gotten such high scores, and I honestly thought about running away. But, my loyalty to my allies was stronger than my fear of death. "10... 9... 8..." How quick 60 seconds pass. Unlike last year, no body of water surrounds the cornucopia, just mint green grass and short stubs of bushes. Even though it's cold, no snow is on the ground, and I think the gamemakers would change that soon enough. "3... 2... 1..." the gong rings. I rush off my plate, and find myself in a mini race. To my left the boy from 4 is running. The boy to my right, the one from 9 trips and falls into the grass. I run straight into Sarah, both of us freaking out for a moment. We both get up, as we dive behind a large crate. Other tributes soon arrive, as I grab a bag of knives off the table. Sarah reaches for an ax, but pulls her arm back quickly as something large falls with a thud to the ground. The girl from 11 lies there, her head with a hatchet potruding out of it. I nearly throw a knife as another tribute enters, but Sarah stops me. It's only Harper, who retrieves his bloody hatchet. "She saw you both, you would've died as she had two sickles. But come on, we need to find Lucus." he says. Sarah grabs an ax and I the bag of knives and a backpack, as we run out of the cornucopia. I hop over a male writhing in pain as he clutches his stomach, his organs sticking out. A spear hurls to my left, as I see Brock staring at me with aggression. I retaliate by throwing a knife, just enough to cause him to duck around the cornucopia. "I found Lucus!" Sarah shouts to me. He's grappling with the male from 10, both fighting for a sai. Harper pulls the boy from 10 off Lucus, but is elbowed in the jaw and shoved down. This gives Lucus enough time to grab the sai and stab the male through the back, as he pushes the bloodied target down. "We need to leave, now!" I say as I watch Gladius decapitate the girl from 6 after a sword duel. We rush through the tundra, taking cover in the pine forest quickly. I lead the pack, as soon as I trip over someone's foot. I look up to see the girl from 3. She raises her spear, but is quickly knocked off her feet by Sarah. I pick the girl's spear up, and rush over to my ally. The girl from 3 has Sarah in a chokehold, who's turning purple. I sneak behind the girl before stabbing my spear into her head and pulling it back quickly. The girl releases, as Sarah gasps. "Slow down! This is... Oh... you killed her." Harper says. "She never was my favorite person..." he adds on. Moments later, the cannons boom. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! '''Almost Half the competitors... dead just like that. No doubt the 4 of us, the 7 careers, and 2 lucky tributes. The day had just started, and most of the tributes were already in body bags. Chapter 9: A Blizzard already? Throughout the day, we've been gathering wood. Harper, being the engineer's son in his district, is helping us construct shelter. "In an arena that's this butt cold, shelter is mandatory." he tells us as we gather wood. By night fall, we have the base of the shelter built. The temperature drops noiticeably when the sun dissapears. I hear wolves howling in the distance, their lonesome song sounding like the spirits of the victims of these games. "Saddening isn't it?" a gruff voice says. I turn, to see Lucus. That was probably the first time I'd ever heard him talk. "I can tell you have death on your mind. Killing someone isn't easy." he says. "You know, you did it to save someone. If that girl had half a brain she would've left us alone. It isn't your fault." Lucus's words soothe me a bit, relaxing my mind. Then, the first new notes of the anthem blare, replacing the silence of this forest. '''The Fallen District 3 Female District 6 Female District 7 Male District 8 Male District 8 Female District 9 Female District 9 Male District 10 Male District 11 Female District 12 Female District 12 Male No careers had died like I predicted, and it seems the only other survivors besides us was the Boy from 6 and girl from 10. I took first watch as Harper, Lucus, and Sarah slept. This arena was a lot different than the urban home I had accustomed to back in 5. Something about it made me feel like a huntress in one of those old fantasy books my father read to me as a child. Snow began to fall. At first, gentle like a snow globe, then faster and harder. I knew what was happening. A blizzard. I woke my allies up, all who reacted cranky. But as soon as they saw the snow falling, they began to hurry for the wood we had stacked. Sarah took a box of matches from the satchel she got at the bloodbath, lighting the wood. It blazed in glory, so bright the careers could probably spot us. But they'd be insane to go after us in a blizzard. I fell asleep near the fire, dreams of my home in my mind. Chapte 10: Isolation at it's Finest I awoke as soon as bright lays of sunright hit my face. The once mint green grass was white, covered in snow. After my allies woke up, we ate some of the food we got from the bloodbath, though are rations were getting low. "We need to find some water. Sarah, Lucus, you two stay here and guard our wood supplies. Luna, come with me" Harper commanded. I walked behind Harper, the sun even brighter as it reflected off the sun. "We're going to those mountains." Harper says, pointing. "There's no doubt a river stream that didn't freeze last night, and mountain water itself is some of the cleanest and purest water." I follow him, and it takes about an hour's walk to reach the mountain's base. Harper's right, as water runs down from the slope. I begin to fill my empty flask, when Harper yanks me to the ground. "Shhh! Someone else is here." he says, as we both crawl behind a large rock. The girl from 10, who looks about 17 comes into view. Her green eyes dart back and forth, as if looking for tributes. She holds an ax in her left hand, as she sheathes it. She bends down, cupping her hands and drinking some of the water. She's about to leave, when she screams in terror. Harper and I look up, to see her running away from the male from 6. When he leaves, we fill our canteens, take a drink, and return back to base camp. "Anything happen while we're gone?" Harper asks. "I cut some wood with my ax, and climbed a tree to get a view. Most of the careers are absent from the cornucopia, no doubt searching for us. Lucus handmade some traps, and we've gotten a few weasels and rabbits." Sarah replies. We have rabbit stew for lunch, hand cooked by Lucus. He adds some spices, that he calls "Arctic Tang", saying that District 11 grew these plants in freezers. After having some delicious stew, we scout the area around. This forest was smaller than we thought. This frightens me and Sarah quiet a bit, but Harper calms us down. The sun sets yet again, this time there is no anthem. Sarah lights another fire, as we sit around and tell stories to each other. When it gets to me, I tell them the story of my mother. "My mother was a brilliant person, my father always told me. He says I look just like her. She was very smart, and could invent many great power sources. But she passed away of disease when I was just an infant." I tell them. Sarah hugs me, and says "I'm so sorry..." but I just tell her "No need too... it's not your fault." After falling asleep, I have nightmares about falling in a room with no exit, and soon being devoured by snakes. Something pushes me and I wake up. Harper puts a hand over my mouth, hushing my scream. "The careers... they're here... hurry, we need to go." I sneak with Harper. We wake Sarah and Lucus, as we grab our stuff to get away. I hear Sarah stub her toe, as she lets out a sharp cry. "Get them!" I hear Gladius shout. Adrenaline kicks in, as I begin running through the forest. Something buries into the ground to my left, causing me to speed up. I get a clear view of our attackers as I leave the forest. Jewel and Cheyenne are at the front, with Marianna behind them. The boy from 4 runs alongside Gladius, with Tux and Brock covering the rear. Sarah is in front of me, I can hear her breathing from back here. I don't see Lucus or Harper anywhere. Lucus is beside me all of a sudden, as I see Sarah hop over something. I hand Lucus my spear, as he turns around and hurls it at the careers. This causes them to split into two groups, as one of them falls with a scream. "Come on guys!" Sarah calls out. We keep running, until something slams into me. Jewel tries to beat my face with a mace. I hold her off, as she tries to get me. I see Lucus yank her by the hair and kick her off me. He helps me up, when the sound of flesh being impaled sounds to my ears. Me and Lucus both dive over the object Sarah hides behind, as Harper yells at the careers to chase him. When we know they're gone, we all catch our breath, when Lucus falls to the ground with a thud. Me and Sarah turn him on his back, and we see why. A spear potrudes through his ribs. "Lucus! No! Stay with me!" Sarah says. The first rays of dawn begin to stretch over the arena, the third day beggining. The light makes me realize how bad his wound actually is. "Lucus, no please Lucus..." Sarah says, tears in her eyes. With his last strength, he leans in and kisses Sarah, saying "I... love you..." before he lies back down. He holds Sarah's hand, before he lets out a final shaky breath, and goes still. A lone cannon booms throughout the arena. "Sarah..." I say, but she's in grief. After removing the spear from Lucus's body, Sarah and I put snow over his wound, so he looks like he's sleeping in a white blanket. We both walk off, as the hovercraft grabs his corpse, and flies off. "He didn't deserve this..." Sarah says. "He died saving us... he did it for you..." I said. We sat near the frozen lake, as we both recovererd from the death we just saw. Chapter 11: Grave Recovery The bright sun glints off the snow, as I squint my eyes to block the light. Sarah was very shaken and possibly heartbroken after the early morning's events, and I too was quiet scared. Harper was out there after distracting the careers to chase him instead of us, and for all we could know he could be captured by the careers. "I'm gonna kill them..." Sarah blurts out. "Who?" I ask, but I know the answer. "The careers! Every single one of them. They are monsters, not human beings!" she shouts, slamming her ax into the snow. Fearful that Sarah might be going crazy with grief, I back up a little, before suggesting "How about we go find Harper? I'm sure he can help." Oddly, it works, as we set out. The bitter cold bites at my hands. The snowy tundra wears down on me, as I hug myself to stay warm. Sarah seems to be ignoring the cold, as she trudges ahead of me. I'm worried how easy it will be to track our footsteps, but not daring to waste any time in the open, I continue along. We stumble upon a frozen lake, and, both of us quiet thirsty, we stop near it. Sarah keeps trying to bust the ice with her ax, but to no avail. It's frozen solid. "The ice will be thinner in the middle no doubt." Sarah says, moving forward. "Wait! It might be to brittle to hold your-" a sharp crack interrupts me in mid sentence. Sarah slips and falls, as a hole opens up in the ice. "Sarah!" I shout as I watch her slip into the ice cold water. Hypothermia would kill her very quickly, and drowning even faster. I didn't know if she could swim or not, as I dropped my bag of items on the ice and sprinted towards the hole in the ice. Sarah is trying to crawl out of the hole, but the ice is too slick. "Grab my hand!" I shout to her. She grabs my arm as I pull up. She's heavier than I thought, but I pull her upper half up. She climbs up herself, shaking from head to toe. Sarah wasn't looking too good, and I could tell she was gaining frostbite on her fingers. We walked to the edge of the lake, before I pulled out matches from my bag. "Stay here." I tell her, as I borrow her ax and head towards a lone tree. After struggling to use the ax, I gather enough wood. Starting the fire with the matches, me and Sarah huddle up close to it. Dusk has fallen over the arena, and I knew the fire would be easy to spot. But caring more for my ally staying alive, I didn't mind. We huddled together for warmth, as Sarah fell asleep shivering. I tried to keep my eyes open, but I too fell asleep. Chapter 12: The Plan "C'mon Raylee! Get down!" a rebel soldier shouts to me. I quickly hunch over as a bomb lands near the bunker I'm situated in. The capitol has sent bounty hunters after me. I've become a wanted figure now. Luckily, rebel forces have been protecting me, saying that if I can defy the capitol, so can they. After surviving the bombing, we rush underground. "They won't be getting word to the capitol." the same soldier says to me, as he presses a button labeled "Homing Missiles." "Bet you wanna see what's happening in the games?" he says. I was still traumatized by my expiriences, watching Josh and Petunia die. I didn't care much for Ivory, and I "drowned" before I could witness the deaths of Marvin, Matthew, and Amina. I just hoped their deaths were quick. The games were on tv, the two tributes I should be mentoring on the screen. Gladius, the favorite, who was by far the most dangerous. His district partner wasn't an easy target, Cheyenne. Personally I thought they had high chances of winning, but their major downfall was that of Josh's... arrogance. The announcer steals the camera, as he explains the events. "Nothing much has started Day 4. The careers still lurk at the cornucopia, the girls from 5 and 7 are searching for the boy from 3. The loners from 6 and 10 are hiding at the base of the mountains." He turns to his purple haired partner, who adds on "I think they'll be on the move soon." I gulp as the camera pans on the far western part of the arena. Out of the forest rushes a pack of werewolves. The camera pans on the 6 Male, the one closest to the western border. He scowls at the werewolves, preparing to run away. Someone clicks a button on a remote, turning the tv off. "He-" I'm cut off when a gag is thrown over my mouth. I throw my elbow into my attacker, when I see another masked attacker insert a syringe in my neck. I let out a muffled scream, as my eyes become heavy and everything goes black. Category:Fan Fiction Category:Unfinished Category:Yourfavoritesalmon